The Vodacom United Rugby Championship has officially entered the business end of the competition, with the quarter-final matchups all confirmed. In the event of games ending in a draw at the end of a knockout match, then extra-time will be played, consisting of two periods, each of 10 minutes plus any stoppage time in each period.
At the final whistle signaling the end of normal time in the match, there will be a five-minute break. Neither the teams nor the match officials may leave the playing enclosure during this break, save for exceptional reasons.
The coaching/management/medical staff of each club shall be permitted onto the playing area during this break to bring water, nourishment and treatment to their players but they must leave the playing area before the end of the break.
After the five-minute break, the teams will swap ends and the side that kicked off the first half of the match will kick-off the first period of extra-time.
After 10 minutes the referee will stop the match and the teams will swap ends again while there is a break of one minute. Neither the teams nor the match officials may leave the playing enclosure during this break, save for exceptional reasons.
The coaching/management/medical staff of each club shall be permitted onto the playing area during the break to bring water, nourishment and treatment to their players but they must leave the playing area before the end of the break.
After the one-minute break, the side that kicked off the second half of the match will kick-off the second period of extra-time. After 10 minutes the referee will stop the match. If at that point there is no winner, according to the criteria set out in the tournament rules, then the referee will conduct a place-kick competition to determine the winner.
Place-kick competition
If at the end of a knockout match, after extra-time has been played, the scores remain equal and the number of tries scored in the Match (including extra-time) is equal, then the referee will conduct a place-kick competition to determine the winner of the Match, according to the following procedures:
All players and match officials will remain on the playing Area. The referee will call the captains of the two teams together and will conduct two-coin tosses. The first toss of the coin will decide which team selects the end at which all place-kicks must be taken; the second toss of the coin will decide which team selects whether it wishes to kick first or second in sequence. For the avoidance of doubt, it may be that the same team wins both tosses, in which case it may select the end at which all place-kicks must be taken and whether it wishes to kick first or second in sequence. For the purposes of this the team selected to kick first will be referred to as “Team A” and the team that kicks second will be referred to as “Team B”.
Each team must nominate three players to take part in the competition. For the purposes of this each player will be allocated a number: 1, 2 or 3, and will be referred to throughout the place-kick competition as “kicker 1”, “kicker 2” or “kicker 3”, respectively. Only players on the playing area at the final whistle of extra time may be nominated. No substituted Players replaced Players or Players who have been shown a red card may take part at any time. Any player who has been temporarily suspended and who remains in the ‘sin bin’ at the time of the final whistle of extra-time may not take part in the place-kick competition.
The match officials and the six nominated players (three from each team) will assemble on the halfway line. Coaching/management/medical staff and players not nominated must gather and remain in their respective club’s technical zone. No one other than the match officials and the participating players is allowed in the part of the playing area being used for the competition (including around the playing area, behind the posts, etc.).
The referee starts the competition by calling kicker 1 from Team A first to take his kick from position one. Once kicker 1 from Team A has taken his kick, the referee calls kicker 1 from Team B to take his kick from position one.
The referee then calls kicker 2 from Team A to take his kick from position two. Once kicker 2 from Team A has taken his kick, the referee calls kicker 2 from Team B to take his kick from position two.
The referee then calls kicker 3 from Team A to take his kick from position three. Once kicker 3 from Team A has taken his kick, the referee calls kicker 3 from Team B to take his kick from position three.
The referee then calls kicker 1 from Team A to take his kick from position four. Once kicker 1 from Team A has taken his kick, the referee calls kicker 1 from Team B to take his kick from position four.
The referee then calls kicker 2 from Team A to take his kick from position five. Once kicker 2 from Team A has taken his kick, the referee calls kicker 2 from Team B to take his kick from position five.
The referee then calls kicker 3 from Team A to take his kick from position six. Once kicker 3 from Team A has taken his kick, the referee calls kicker 3 from Team B to take his kick from position six.
After each of the three nominated Players from each team has taken his two kicks, the referee will declare the winning team based on the number of successful kicks. If there is an equal number of successful kicks, the competition continues on a 'sudden death' basis. All kicks will take place from position four and will take place in the following order: kicker 1 from Team A and then kicker 1 from Team B; kicker 2 from Team A and then kicker 2 from Team B; and kicker 3 from Team A and then kicker 3 from Team B.
The competition will continue two kicks at a time (one from each team in the order set out above) until one player succeeds with a kick and the player from the other team taking the corresponding kick misses it. Once that happens, the team of the player who succeeded with the kick will be declared the winner.
Throughout the place-kick competition
Once a player has positioned the ball on the kicking tee, he must take the kick within one minute. Should he take longer, the referee shall declare the kick unsuccessful.
After each kick, the referee records the number of the player and whether or not the attempt was successful.
Whether or not the kick is successful in each case is the sole decision of the referee, who may at his sole discretion rely on the assistance of his assistant referees. The referee's decision shall be final and binding.
If a player selected to be a kicker becomes injured, he may be replaced but only by a player who was on the playing area at the final whistle of extra-time (and, for the avoidance of doubt, the replacement kicker must take the number of the kicker he is replacing, so that for example if kicker 1 becomes injured and is replaced, the replacement becomes kicker 1).
The kickers may not change numbers (so that, for example, kicker 1 cannot swap with kicker 2.)
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